Chefs and Culinary Staff

Simplot Retail has over 10 chefs and food scientists on staff who will work in tandem with you to achieve your goals, whether those are to conceive and develop new product lines, or to simply finalize and commercialize your developed formulas in our facilities.

Chef Mark Hill

Mark Hill, Director of Culinary; Corporate Chef for the J.R. Simplot Company is a veteran of 40 years in the food service industry. He is a 1975 graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York. Chef Hill’s key focus is National Accounts, Food Service Marketing and Research and Development. Prior to this position, he was with Ore-Ida Foods as Executive Chef, National Accounts.

Previous experience includes the Planet Hollywood group as Corporate Chef; Executive Chef, Product Development with Doskocil Specialty Brands; Executive Chef of Universal Studios Hollywood during a period of development and expansion to 30 food service operations, culminating in the four new operations at Universal “City Walk”; Executive Chef, Westwood Marquis; and owner/operator of Raleigh Studios Commissary and Catering in Los Angeles.

Chef Hill’s strengths lie in the areas of research and product development, recipe and menu development and innovative culinary solutions to the market place. Mr. Hill is an active member of the Idaho State Chefs State Association, American Culinary Federation and the Research Chefs Association.

Chef Dianna

Chef Dianna has blended her passion for baking, cooking and science into a Research & Development Chef career with the J.R. Simplot Company spanning the past 14 years. She had 10 years of prior foodservice experience in various positions including college and university food service, bakeries, fine dining and catering. She has obtained her culinary credentials with honors from Western Culinary Institute in Portland, OR. To further her education, Dianna also has a B.S. with honors in Nutrition and Dietetics from Idaho State University, Pocatello.

Earning the title Certified Working Pastry Chef from the American Culinary Federation in 1999, she remains an active member of her American Culinary Federation chapter. She was the first woman chapter president of the Idaho Chefs de Cuisine and currently presides as certification and election chairs. Chef Dianna was also the first woman to receive her Certified Research Chef credentials from the Research Chefs Association and is currently an active RCA Board Member while participating in the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs and Women’s Foodservice Forum professional organizations.